Cat's Meow
by ayaheartright
Summary: After getting his memory wiped by the Emperor, Lelouch is sent to Lloyd for a way to make geass dormant. In an experiment gone wrong, he gets turned into a cat-person. Since Arthur's DNA was used for the gene manipulation, it only makes sense for Suzaku to be in charge of feline Zero, right?
1. Chapter 1

"You turned Zero... Into... A cat..." Suzaku responded, dumbfounded.

Cecile shrugged, curving her head into her slender shoulders, clearly embarrassed. All he could do is stare. His emerald eyes bore into her, wide as saucers. This had to be some weird joke and Lloyd coerced her to participate. Suzaku must have forgotten to blink because his eyes were dry by the time Cecile pushed up from her desk, and walked towards him. She cupped the bottom of his chin, lifting his jaw upward; the sound of his teeth connecting brought the teen out of his stupor.

"You love cats, right?" She smiled and ruffled up his short hair.

"It's a little one sided."

Then again, that was a good analogy to his relationship with Lelouch. Ever since they were kids, Suzaku loved the other boy with all his heart. When they met again in Shinjuku ghetto, he has the silliest grin on his face, seeing that lanky, broody, and asinine form sulk out of the shadows. The first time he piloted the Lancelot it was to save Lelouch. In some strange way everything ended up going back to his first friend, who ended up being...

Zero.

Not even a week ago he betrayed that friendship by dragging Lelouch, no Zero, his arch nemesis, the one who killed Euphie, before the Emperor. Lelouch betrayed him long before Suzaku ever thought of anything selfish. Any punishment paled in comparison to what Zero actually deserved. Suzaku fully expected his former friend to be executed at the feet of the Emperor, dressed in a white prisoner straitjacket.

Somehow turning the terrorist who created such chaos into a cat just didn't fit. The Emperor erased Lelouch's memory, and sent him to Lloyd for this? "It happened when Lloyd was trying to manipulate geass, and make it dormant. We were pulling a lot of all nighters, and yesterday, well technically this morning at 3am, Arthur jumped on my lap and -"

"What happened to Arthur?!"

"Nothing. Nothing. Your cat is fine, Suzaku. We did take some blood and do some gene manipulation on Zero, thinking that geass was attached to certain strands of specific DNA."

"Ok..."

"We must have taken too much. But geass is completely gone so that's good. At least we don't have to worry about that any longer, and she doesn't appear to have any claws."

"Claws..."

"Yes, Suzaku, claws." She sighed, rubbing her eyes; a yawn escaped.

She looked exhausted. Dark bags under her eyes were nearly the same shade as her blue hair. Her hands trembled slightly, and Suzaku looked over at her desk. The metal top housed her computer, and also a plethora of coffee cups. A few brown stains scattered her lab coat.

"Where's Lloyd?" Suzaku asked, looking around the lab.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Arthur curled on the the chair in the center of the space. There were wires, monitors, and so much science equipment that Suzaku didn't understand placed near it. This was probably where Lelouch was experimented on. The last time the two met was the battle of Tokyo.

After that Suzaku tried his best to forget Lelouch, and put all his energy into becoming a Knight of the Rounds. The soft lining of his gloves and the weight of the cape still felt odd. Perhaps it was waiting around for orders that was strange. When he was Euphie's Knight, and not the Emperor's, he seemed to always be busy. He wasn't avoiding Lloyd and Cecile then either.

As much as he hated Zero, he still didn't want to face Lelouch. Truth be told, he would prefer to just pretend that person never existed. He meant what he said, " his very existence was a mistake." The world would have been a better place if Lelouch had never been born.

"Lloyd's already asleep, since his experiment was technically a success."

"Turning Zero into a cat was a success..." Suzaku raised an eyebrow.

"Well we were cleared for sleep anyway." She said smiling.

"So why did you request me then?"

"They can't get her to eat in the prison. The guards tried human food and cat food, but Zero will just turn up her nose at everyone and hisses. Since you have a bond with Arthur already, I figured maybe she will eat for you. It's imperative for one to eat after gene manipulation; it take a lot out of the body." She blushed. " No pun intended."

"She?"

He just noticed the pronoun change.

"Well. It might be a better description. The Initial examination didn't show any genitalia, which is odd since both Arthur and Lelouch are boys."

"Actually Arthur is a girl." Suzaku looked at the chair. The cat perked up an ear, like she knew she was the topic of conversation. "Euphie and I just didn't know until we took her to the vet."

"Oh. Well. I guess that makes a little more sense then." She yawned. "Thanks Suzaku. Prince Schneizel already approved our request to keep you until all this gets sorted out."

His first assignment as the Knight of Seven was to catsit. Suzaku glared the entire trek to the prison cells. A few people stepped out of his path, visibly nervous at seeing a high ranking military official in such a foul mood. The prison guards straighten when he finally made his way down to the dungeons, which were hardly like the stereotypical wet stone and iron bars he imagined.

"My lord." The two middle aged men addressed, ending their chuckles over the latest guest. "Shall I show you to the appropriate cell?"

"There's no need. I'm sure I will figure it out myself."

He scowled at the way the men beamed.

Suzaku scanned his badge, opening the steel door. The metal screeched as it slid within the pocket style door frame. The guard shrugged, saying how "hard it is to get maintainance down here." On the other side were rows of large bullet proof glass containers. Most of the persons down here were on death row, left alive only for torture beforehand. Zero was the only exception. He found the appropriate box a third of the way down, and on the left. It was the only one with food outside the door - a bowl of gruel and several cans of cat food. There was even a bowl of milk.

He look through the clear case. A form was curled up on the white cot. Thick grey fur ran down the curve of its spine, thinning out rather quickly. Peach flesh stood out on the thing's slender sides. Long black human hair fanned out over the low bed, nearly touching the tile floor underneath. A cat ear twitched, reminiscent of Arthur's habit not long ago.

Sighing he picked up the tray, and entered the access code. This door didn't screech. "Zero." Suzaku snarled, and place the sustenance near the bed. That ear twitched again, and one paw lifted to swat at it. The lack of claws surprised him, considering in every other way the hand looked like a larger version of Arthur's feet. Fur stopped shortly after his, her, it's wrists, like the time Milly convinced Lelouch to wear a cat costume in the student council.

"They gave me a litter box." The voice sounded like a higher pitch version of Lelouch, with some minor variation.

The speech was slurred slightly, and Suzaku wondered what type of teeth Lelouch had now. It sounded like some maneuvering was needed in order to get the sounds close to correct. He looked over to the corner, where a green standard sized box was turned over, and cat litter scattered all over the ground. Suzaku made no move to clean it up. The real Arthur was his responsibility, not this hybrid. He turned around, ready to simply say "feeding Zero didn't work out." It wasn't as if he cared whether or not the bastard starved to death.

Zero shifted on the bed, and Suzaku couldn't resisted the urge to look. Massive amethyst eyes stared at him with intensity he never experienced before. Arthur would sometimes watch him like that, but the color change made the gaze completely different. They were cat eyes, complete with slits for pupils, except Lelouch's shade remained. Both eyes were purple. Lelouch's usually pronounced cheekbones and chin were softened, whether because of feline DNA or due to Cecile claim of Zero now being a female, he didn't know. The face was indeed more feminine than before.

Over the right eye there was a black patch of fur, and a smaller one between on the forehead. That was the only hair on Zero's face. The rest was normal, well as normal as could be. Suzaku didn't want to admit to any sort of fetish by thinking that face was attractive.

Human arms crossed over human, but slightly more hairy legs. Zero blushed when he looked in that area and Suzaku realized why. The top of cleavage was visible over her forearms that looked to be silky smooth and soft. She. Lelouch was definitely a she by the sheer volume of her chest. He saw Euphie seductively conceal herself before a big reveal enough times to wager Zero's breast were about the same size.

His blush matched, and he pulled his eyes away. A tail darted out from behind Zero's back, and swayed by her side. Her nose scrunched up before she moved on hand faster then Lelouch could ever manage. The grey tail became trapped between her arms, but the black tip still seemed to move like it had a mind of its own.

He couldn't stop himself from laughing. She pouted, and let out a low growl. Suzaku cleared his throat, and bent down to eye level. First he grabbed the bowl of gruel, and held up the steaming spoon to her. It made sense that Zero was incapable of feeding herself without hands. He supposed she could have licked the bowl, but there's no way Lelouch would stoop that low. If the knocked over litter box was any indication, some portion of that horribly stubborn personality remained.

She sniffed it, and scrunched her nose. He didn't think it smelled very appealing either, and placed the slop back down. Her pupils dilated slightly when he lifted up a spoon full of wet cat food. The salmon colored lump stunk worse than the people food. Her naturally red (because he couldn't see lipstick being available in prison) lips thinned to a small hard line. She shook her head. Suzaku offered again, pressing the utensil against her mouth when her stomach growled.

Zero gave an expression he never experienced before. Unsure. Shy. Embarrassed. Lelouch never showed these emotions in public. Her eyes watered and she whined, looking away. "There's no reason to be embarrassed. If this is what you want then just eat it. For all the thing I could judge you for, this is nothing." She tilted her head, and he remembered that her memory of past transgressions were destroyed. "I will bring you Arthur's favorite tomorrow if you eat this. It's chunky with gravy so it will be easily for you pretend."

She opened her mouth, revealing long pointed canines. His suspicions regarding her speech impediment were confirmed. Zero finished all five cans of catfood, and licked her teeth clean at the end. She looked at the milk a few times, shifting her gaze from the wood bowl to him, and back again. Her blush deepened. He waited.

"Su... Su..Za.. Ku..." He name was undoubtedly awkward to say. The Emperor never divulged how much of her memory he wiped clean. Did she remember him? Or did Arthur's acknowledgement and sporadic affection really transfer over? "Please."

"Please what?"

She hissed. "The milk. Please." He waited, discovering a sadistic side of himself. When Suzaku roughly handled Zero the night of the teen's arrest, he didn't enjoy it. Right now he felt a strange tingling sensation seeing unshed tears and a scarlet blush on her face. "Please, feed me the milk... I can't myself."

He wanted to argue that Arthur figured it out right away. Instead he removed his gloves, not wanting to get milk on them. He lifted the bowl, getting some warm liquid on his thumbs. Whoever prepared Zero's meal was also a cat lover. She struggled to drink it like a human. It spilled out from the sides of her lips; pursing them over her teeth didn't seem to work.

"Zero."

She gave him a blank, and yet quizzical expression.

"Lelouch."

Her left ear twitched.

"Arthur?"

Another twitch, same as before.

He didn't know what to call her. "We will figure that out later," he sighed. "You're going to have to lap it up." She shook her head. "Ok then you aren't getting any." He moved the bowl away. Zero's eyes widened and she conceded, darting her pink tongue out. There was a spot on it too, just like Arthur. "Good girl." He praised, adjusting his hold.

With one hand underneath the bowl, he freed up the other one to scratch behind her ear. Zero purred, pushing her skull towards his hand for more. Her feline ears were softer than Arthur's, and her human hair was silky smooth. He absently ran his fingers through it, alternating between that and rubbing the tips of her ears. That was Arthur's special spot, and she seemed to agree. Her purr became louder, rumbling throughout the empty space.

He inhaled, surprised, when her scratchy tongue came in contact with his finger. She licked up the milk to the last drop. The way she looked up at him was far too human for his liking. Her amethyst eyes narrowed slightly and sparkled. She arched her back, doing that annoying cat habit of wanting more scratches, and she yet pulled away. Her chest arched and without conscious protection, her breasts were visible nearly to the nipple.

Suzaku cleared his throat, willing the strange sensation in the pit of his stomach to go away. "I'm not developing a fetish." He said aloud. Zero smiled, or what he imagined to be a smile. Despite having a woman's face, minus the fur by her eye and forehead, of course, she didn't appear to be capable of all the anthropomorphic expressions.

She whined when he removed his hand, and stood to leave. "Tomorrow?" She asked, referring to his previous promise.

"Fine," he sighed. Caring for Zero was his duty until further notice anyhow. "I will be back to feed you tomorrow."

She nodded, and curled up on the bed, closing her eyes. Suzaku's stance relaxed now that the intense stare was gone.

* * *

Read and review! This is yet another oneshot that got out of control. Yay kitty fluff!


	2. Chapter 2

The next day he brought a shirt as well as the wet food food. Suzaku hesitated over the underwear. Cecile said that Zero didn't have private parts, but how well did they check? If she was the same as a cat, it would be pretty difficult to tell just by glancing. There was fur on her back and a bit on her butt. Suzaku caught a glimpse of the crack as she laid back down on the bed right before her tail curled around, providing minimal coverage. It was still too human to be left exposed.

Zero was in the same spot as when he left. Not that there were many other places to lounge in the cell. A cot and a toilet were the only furnishings. Someone came and removed the litter box and the mess. Well, not all the mess. The toilet paper roll was empty, and the extent of it was piled up nicely underneath the holder. It took him a moment to remember that Zero didn't have any claws, and that was why the thin sheets weren't in shreds.

She didn't react to his entry. Suzaku placed the new food bowl and the folded clothing down on the floor near the foot of the bed. "Hey. Food." He said. Her tail swishing was the only response. The knight grumbled, and reached out for the fur between her shoulder blades. There was never any need to ceorce Arthur into eating, and Lelouch too had a healthy appetite. It didn't make sense that the two mixed together would be so picky. She keened at his touch, ano pushed into his hand, which another oddity. Both original parties were more elusive.

Suzaku gave up immediately, and let the tension ease from his body when she lightly wrapped her tail around his arm. Her purrs weren't as loud as when he touched her ears; the pitch was different. Despite the noise having nothing to do with a a larynx, this sound was throatier. If he were to equate it to Lelouch's normal tendency, it would be likes when the boy said "right there, right there," whenever Suzaku scratched his back. He absently scratched harder, distracted by his hatred of the fully human Zero.

Her ears folded back, parallel to the back of her head a few moments before she flipped over, swatting him in the face. The pad of her paw connected with his nose with the force of an angry woman's slap. He cursed, rubbing his sore flesh, blinking back tears. He'd felt more pain, physical and emotional; the nose always made him tear up though. Zero tucked her legs underneath her torso, and extended her arms out. She lifted up into the quintessential cat stretch, rounding her back and contracting her muscles. It looked like a more natural form of dog pose in yoga. Then again, perhaps it was because she supported her weight on paws, and not hands and feet, that made the act seem instinctive.

Suzaku gulped, and bit his lower lip, at the unconscious way Zero exposed herself. While her back was more feline, her chest and stomach were distinctively human. Her small waist was hairless, and not even a happy trail existed between her lower hips and navel. Her pubic hair was more like furry skin tight leggings. Mostly he blushed from her hairless breasts hanging down in full view without any sort of hesitation. His fingers tingled, and he quickly averted his eyes.

She gasped, and plopped back down, clearly realizing her mistake. "You didn't..." She began. The sadistic feeling returned, and he somehow managed to simply lift an eyebrow. "You didn't... Ah... See anything, did you?"

The tone was entirely too much like Euphie.

"No. I didn't." He replied. The sour taste in his mouth thinking of his deceased girlfriend made his voice come out cross. It was too soon for anything to remind him of her. "Now. Eat. But first put this on." He reached down for the shirt and handed the black tank top out to her. She turned her head away. He stared at the back of her skull, noticing the short shaggy haircut. "Your hair is shorter."

"It's not like I can brush it."

"Who cut it?" He asked, and massaged the back of her neck.

Zero truly was a cat in the sense that he couldn't stay mad at her. Even the fact that her hair was now the same length as full blooded male Lelouch's short mop didn't both him as much as one would expect. He stopped himself from saying he would have "done the action for her" aloud. Suzaku always liked brushing Nunnally's hair when they were kids, and that comely gesture transferred over to his relationship with Euphie. He would miss it, but at least Nunnally was back. He refrained from getting very close to her though. Truthfully, V.V. Brought the girl to the capital even before he made it with Zero.

"Some guard woman. The same one who left me food and plastic balls with little bells inside."

"I don't see any toys."

"Under the bed."

Typical.

"I'm just going to leave your food on the floor, and leave it for you to feed yourself if you don't put on clothes." She mumbled. "Hmmmm?"

"You'd have to dress me."

"Oh." Her meek shy aura was too cute. Zero radiated insecurity, a third thing that was out of character. "I don't mind."

She sat up, and he picked up the willowy fabric. Getting her head in was easy. Zero folded her ears back and there was no issue. Her arms, on the other hand, proved to be a bit of a problem. Suzaku was glad the undershirt to his uniform had large armholes. He couldn't picture himself at a Britannian department store looking at women's clothing, asking a clerk if he or she "thought giant paws would fit."

He took several calming breaths, and closed his eyes as he pulled the material out and over her breasts. Just squishing them down didn't seem comfortable. Euphie explained this to him once when she insisted on running with him one morning. She lifted her chest, fixing the pressure after her sports bra was in place. Surely that was more uncomfortable. He was attentive, but not enough to do the adjusting for Zero. The cotton spandex blend still clung. The "one size fits most" fabric wasn't loose even when it reached her waist. Odd. It only fell to about halfway down her ribcage. Did he somehow grab Anya's one from the wash rack instead?

She turned around, and gazed at the bowl. The shirt barely concealed anything, to say the least. It provided nothing more than a color scheme difference; an outline of her hard nipples were still visible. Zero didn't seem to mind. Because of Suzaku's multi layered uniform, the crisp temperature slipped his mind.

"Are you cold?"

She shrugged, apparently receiving animal resilience to weather as well. "Eat?"

"You won't get better at speaking clearly if you shorten every sentence." He chastised, chuckling at her annoyed expression. She furrowed her brows together, and stuck out her tongue. It looked weird considering she bared her fangs at the same time by accident. "I need to put your bottoms on first."

"No."

"Yes."

"There's no need. I have fur down there. And besides..." She trailed off.

So Lloyd's assessment regarding sex organs was true. "Your ass crack is still showing. Now give me your legs." She looked like she wanted to keep arguing. "Or I will take your lunch all together."

Zero hissed, and extended one leg out. He stretched the bikini bottoms over her bottom paws, ignoring the fact that he grabbed Euphie's swim bottoms in haste. The article somehow got packed in his things by accident. Actually, he found several pairs of panties mixed with his own. The princess would constantly do little sensual things like that for him to find later.

Zero forced him to pay attention when she slammed into him, losing her balance on two legs. Suzaku supposed walking, or even standing on those feet would take some getting used to. She was still the same height as male Lelouch, and if she didn't moved her head at the last moment, her clumsiness would have caused them to kiss. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and embraced his upper arms for support. Her rapid breath tickled his ear. He exhaled slowly, willing the strain of his trousers not to get worse. It undoubtedly had just been too long since supple flesh was pressed up against him. Suzaku clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to nibble at her sensitive ear.

"Done." He breathed when the skimpy article was put into place.

The hem didn't reach the top of her fur covering. At least the back was beneficial. Her tail has enough room to move freely over the too low material. Against his better judgment, he let his hands linger, feeling the soft fur of her hips between his fingertips. She gasped, and pushed harder against him when he reached the base of her tail. Arthur always loved that spot. If she had claws, the would have dug into his back. Suzaku scratched the spot, enjoying the way her body vibrated against his. He always took comfort in the rare occasions Arthur would purr on his lap, finding the sensation soothing.

She meowed, and rubbed her head against the crook of his shoulder. "More." Zero begged, and licked his neck. He smiled, and used his other hand to rub her ear. She really was just like a giant talking feline. It was too easy to forget her identity, and simply love on her. His stance became rigid when her sandpaper tongue drew circles behind his ear.

"Stop that."

"Why?"

"It's weird."

She whined when he moved to pull away, and resided to nuzzling his neck instead. Her purrs became louder, if that was even possible, blocking out the sound of his racing heart. It took him too long to realized something wasn't right. Zero's whole body became taut, and she slumped against him. "What was that?" He asked.

Zero lifted her head and smiled, catching him off guard. It would seem his previous assessment was wrong. Perhaps it was embarrassment or awareness that kept her from doing so before. The grin came out like a snarl, and it was her merely sparkling eyes that revealed the meaning. She licked his nose playfully, easing his anxiety.

He ruffled the hair between her ears, and lowered them both to the floor. Zero sat cross legged with her front paws on the floor. She sniffled at the new food, and opened wide. Suzaku rolled his eyes, and paced the meal, neglecting the spoon halfway through. Zero's previous embarrassment was lost, and she ate from the tilted bowl hands, or rather paws free.

Maybe he could get to a point where he could just drop bowls of food and water for her down here twice a day. Or even just leave the cans with the guards. There seemed to be one that Zero tolerated enough to let cut her hair. The thought saddened him. Even though Suzaku initially grumbled at the task of caring for the hybrid, he really did love cats.

She licked her teeth and lips clean when she finished. Suzaku pointed to the bowl of water, and leaned against the leg of the bed. Zero's eyes widened and she shook her so much Suzaku thought it must have made her dizzy. "It's the same thing, except I'm not holding it." He stated the obvious. Zero glared at him. Suzaku reached into his pocket and showed her a handful of fish shaped treats. She moved to eat them; he closed his hand first. She cursed at him and nudged his fist. "Drink some water first." He narrowly evaded her attempt to bite down on his hand. Zero's ears were back against her skull again. "Please." He requested. "I don't know if I'm always going to be able to come down here when you need me, so I would like to know that you aren't going to get dehydrated."

Zero was easier to deal with than a normal pet since he could reason with her. She growled, and gave in, walking on all fours to the water. She lapped it up, glaring at him the entire time. If looks could kill... Zero watched him, clearly only drinking enough to earn the treats, and returned. She nudged his hand again.

"You said you'd give me them." She complained.

He opened his palm, relieved when she scarfed them down all at once. Arthur hated to get his teeth brushed, and although it wasn't needed as much as a human, Suzaku still found daily dental treats to be easier, and just as effective. The vet never scolded him about hygiene.

"Alright, I will see you at dinner." He stood, and brushed off his pants. Zero gave him a bored expression. She returned back to the bed, curling up into same position as always. "Oh. One more thing." He stopped at the door and waited for an indication she was listening. Her tail swished a little at the tip. "You didn't respond to any of the names I called you yesterday."

"I don't like any of them." She stated like it was perfectly logical reasoning.

Cats.

"Ok... So do you me to give you a different one?"

She turned over, eyes wide. Her mouth was open slightly, and there was a deep blush on her face. If she had hands, Suzaku imagined she would've smoothed her hair down. Actually, it didn't matter; she licked her paw and used that instead.

"If you want...to name me."

"I'll think of some options, but right now I have some stuff to do."

"What kind of stuff?

He hesitated at telling her he was helping Nunnally move into Belial palace. "Just ... Stuff." She growled and turned back over. Arthur never appeared to care when he came or left. He didn't have the means to inquire either. "Later."

Her tail swished in annoyance when he closed the door.

* * *

 **A/N: super oblivious Suzaku is adorable. Read and review. I'm open for scene suggestions! This fic is satisfying my need for smut and I really don't feel like writing the next chapters of checkmate, feminine rebellion (even though there's only one left) or my original-ish novel.**

 **BTW if anyone is wondering why I turned Lelouch into a girl... Again ... It's really just that I'm lazy and having different pronouns makes my life easier. I supposed I could have went with "it" but that seems even meaner.**

 **Even though I have an idea, I'm very open to name suggestions!**


	3. Chapter 3

As if being turned into a half cat wasn't bad enough, he was going to paraded in front of his bastard of a Father. Lelouch pawed at his chest, remembering he probably wasn't a "he" anymore, considering the new equipment and loss of another. Bismark was surprisingly sympathetic when the Knight of One waltzed into his cell.

Lelouch expected to see Suzaku, or that blond woman who liked to give him toys. Suzaku didn't make the most sense, since the teen just left. Maybe he came back? Lelouch never felt so needy in all his life. He tried to counteract it by ignoring the human; Suzaku knew how to make his body melt in this form. When no one reached to stroke the back of his head, he cocked an ear while pretending to be be ignorant. "Your highness," Bismark addressed. The knight's rumbling voice sounded different though Lelouch's altered ears.

"I'm in prison and a Felis sapien. Not a very high position."

"Felis sapien?"

"It's the most sophisticated sounding species I could come up with right now. Evidently I've gotten stupider since the change."

"His majesty requests your presence in the throne room."

"Requests? Then I decline."

Lelouch wailed when he felt big hands wrap around his now sylphlike waist. With nothing else to do in the cell besides sleep, the former terrorist spent a sizable amount of time examining the new body. There were several difference to his bone structure. Besides the obvious, his knees were a bit higher, and he possessed a feline heel bone. He was still incapable of keeping the the joints locked, one of the reasons Lelouch refused to move much. His skeleton was smaller too, and a negligible V shape of a male disappeared, leaving a dainty hourglass in its stead.

"Rrrrraaaaarrrrr!"

His complaint was loud enough to cause the knight to falter. Bismark adjusted, and grabbed the loose skin on the back of Lelouch's neck. Any extra flailing and attempts to bite died down, and Lelouch felt his muscles move on their own. His arms and legs squeezed towards his torso. No matter how much he tried, there was no extending them. He whimpered, not even capable of swishing his tail in the old man's face. Lelouch was paralyzed.

He barely felt Bismark tuck an arm between his folded legs and butt. The other one held a firm grip on the scruff of his neck. "I would prefer this transport to... Achoo!" He sneezed. "Be swift." Another sneeze. " I'm allergic to cats."

Through hooded eyelids he watched the scene change from his single cell, and up into the main portion of the castle. Lelouch wallowed in self pity, seeing the varying looks on courtesans that the duo passed. Confusion. Awe. More than a few of them laughed. Thankfully Bismark continued until Schneizel came into view. Lelouch growled, hoping curiosity truly did kill the cat when he lifted his gaze to see his half-brother.

"Is that the new Zero?" The aristocrat asked. He stepped in their path, extending out a hand. Bismark stifled another reaction, shoulders spasming, yet no sound escaped. Schneizel thumbed Lelouch's bottom paws, separating the pads with his fingers. The half-feline strained to pull away and glared. "Didn't I tell you, dear Brother, not to go too far with your rebellious stage? [1] Now look what's happened to you. Although..." He trailed off, and ran his hands up Lelouch's legs, examining all the changes. "Perhaps I should call you sister now? I'm not sure if that would work either since 1/4th siblings aren't really in the dictionary."

Lelouch looked away when Schneizel's white gloved hands came in contact with his bare midriff. His elder brother paused and the hem before roughly fondled his breasts. Schneizel squeezed with one in each hand. The younger prince was never so happy for dulled sensations in his life. Bismark coughed and sneezed but did nothing to stop the molestation. "Schneizel." Lelouch struggled to move his mouth. Tears pricked his eyes, and his chest felt unbearably sore. Schneizel leered, and pinched Lelouch's nipple. "Have fun with our Father. It's a little known secret that the emperor has a soft spot for felines."

The half-cat shuttered at the warning. The rest of the walk wasn't near long enough and soon enough Bismark used his back to push open the giant doors. His Father sat on a dais, looking down at Lelouch without expression. Bismark stopped at the end of the red carpet, and lowered Lelouch. His front paws were placed on the bottom stairs, and the back begs remained tucked under him. It was a mock bow.

"Lelouch!" The man bellowed, standing up from the throne. He stepped down to sit on the bottom stair. Bismark let go of the scruff on Lelouch's neck and left. The door slammed behind the knight before Lelouch regained feeling in his form. His father stared down, and Lelouch cautiously lifted his head. Their eyes met. "You look so cute as a cat!"

"What?!" Lelouch screeched, forgetting to be careful around his teeth. He cut the side of his tongue, and blood dripped out of his lips.

"Oh no! You need to be caweful around dos teefies wittle kitty." Charles baby talked, and removed his glove to wipe away the red stain.

Lelouch evaded, falling down on the process. "What the hell has gotten into you?" He attempted to stand, locking his heels, and wobbled on two 'feet.'

"You'll have time to get used to it. Lloyd mentioned that your anatomy scan revealed a heel joint, so I think it would be better if you walked on all fours."

"Time?" Lelouch whole body went cold, like someone dumped ice water on him. The thought was even worse now since the prince was pretty sure he hated water. "What do you mean time?! That mad scientist said this was a mistake."

"Mistake. Maybe you're more like an 'oops' baby whose parents love once born."

"You and mom didn't mean to have me?"

"What? No. I mean yes. Turning you into a half cat was the mistake, but not one anyone could regwet."

"Stop kidding dad, just adopt a cat if you want one so badly!"

Lelouch let out a crazed self satisfied laugh when he stood, and slowly, but successfully, strode towards the door on his bottom paws alone. There was no way he was going to give up bipedal movement. "I'm out of here." He said, proudly as possible.

"So you don't want my pwesent?"

"Stop talking like that, Dad! It's creeping me out!" Lelouch roared.

He was too slow, and unable to outrun the Emperor. His father quickly came to stand in front of him, blocking his path. Lelouch swished his tail, and lowered his ears. "Then I guess I shouldn't give you this?" His father asked, reaching into his pants pocket. He dangled a small, loosely woven, mouse shaped stuffed animal in front of Lelouch. Sniffing at it was obviously a mistake. Catnip. The fucking asshole wanted to drug him.

"N...no..." Lelouch refused verbally. He contradicted those words by leaning in, taking one long whiff. It just smelled so good. "Get that away from me."

"You suwe?" The emperor brought the toy to Lelouch's face, rubbing it under the marginally restrained catperson's nose.

Before Lelouch knew it, he was rolling on the floor, rubbing the sack all over his face like some sort of weirdo. His father just "awwwed," and watched his child get high out of his or her mind. In his drugged state, Lelouch didn't really care that the Emperor called him a girl. It was different with Suzaku for some reason. Everything was always different with Suzaku.

He bit into the bag, ripping the burlap to gnaw at the weed. The taste was exquisite. Catnip was more delicious than any five star meal he ever made, or even the fancy feast he so enthusiastically consumed earlier that day. Lelouch's body tingled, and not long after he rolling around the floor like a maniac, he slumped in satisfaction.

Charles sat down to rub the back of his ear. The drugs made the sensation even stronger and Lelouch purred, pushing into the man he claimed to hate. How could he hate anyone who gave him catnip though? If everyone in the world had this there would be no war. Maybe Euphie was just high out her mind all the time.

"Dad stop." He complained. His voice for frantic when the Emperor reached the base of his tail. "I feel like you're violating me." Tears streamed down his eyes and his face flushed. Lelouch tried in vain to control his heavy breathing. Only Suzaku was allowed to touch him there.

"But how can I avoid petting my cutesy wootsy kitty?"

"I'm not a kitty!" He snarled and bit down, tasting royal blood.

" **Lelouch**!" The Emperor howled. Lelouch squealed in fear when his father pinned him down, and forced his eyes open. " **You will forget anything that is causing you to desire your human life!** "

* * *

"She was wailing for a while ago. The cat thing."

Suzaku nodded at the guard, and made his way down to Zero's cell. She wasn't lying on the bed like he expected. The cell seemed empty. That couldn't be the case since there wasn't a way out, at least not one that Zero could use. Truth be told she could be held captive in any room with a door that fully closed. Without hands she wouldn't be able to turn the knob.

"So I've been thinking about a name. I'm really not that good at this though... Someone else named Arthur." He began. A tail poked out from under the bed. "Since you are just as much a human as a cat I can't really name you 'Mittens' or something. So I was thinking..." He hesitated, holding down the bile in his throat. He hated the human Zero. He hated the human Lelouch. The thing hiding under the bed wasn't too bad, and he couldn't really think of a good name except...

"When we I first brought Arthur to Ashford, and Milly had the cat festival, the student council tied you to a chair, forcing you to participate. You had on a black shirt sort of like the one right now, and the girls were applying makeup to your face. When Shirley drew on an eyepatch she called you Lulu. Well, she always called you that, until she forgot to... Anyway. Lulu. It's not the most creative, but I always thought that it was cute.

"Hey, are you even listening?"

It was impossible to read her body language when all he could see was the black portion of her tail. Suzaku sighed, and bent down, peering into the darkness. She pushed herself up against the glass as much as possible and all Suzaku could make out was her outline. He did notice something putrid and familiar when he came closer. Cat pee. The room smelled of ammonia.

He pushed himself up off the floor, and looked for puddles. There was a little one near the toilet. Suzaku left, only bothering to shut the door, and not lock it. He grabbed a bottle of all purpose cleaner out of the maintenance closet at the front of the dungeon. There was also a bottle of lubricant in there for the door to keep it from screeching. Suzaku stared at it impassively, and made a mental note to fix that in the way out.

She hadn't moved out from under the bed when Suzaku returned. He wiped up the mess, and sprayed the cleaner, grateful the lemon scent masked the previous scent quite well. Once the clumps of toilet paper were flushed down the porcelain bowl, he returned to the bed. He still smelled cat pee. "Lulu, come out." He told her, hoping the lack of a response earlier had nothing to do with his naming skills.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Don't wanna." She sobbed.

"Why are you crying?" He took hold of what he could easily reach of her tail, and stroked the tip. She mewled. "Come out."

"Nooooo." She cried louder. "I'm too embarrassed."

He hated to do this to her. He hated to do this to Arthur but at least he was vastly smaller. Suzaku crawled further under the cot, and gripped the back of Lulu's neck. She struggled, of course, and hauling her out proved more difficult than he expected. He always thought declawing was inhumane but having a cat come without them was nice. She slid on the floor, with only her meager strength to fight him. Thankfully that part of Lelouch remained.

Her eyes were red and puffy. A little snot dripped out of her nose. Lulu cried harder, and covered her head with her paws. He lightened his grip, but still kept a hold on her, not wanting her to shimmy back. "Hey. Tell me what's wrong?" He cooed, running his fingers over her ears. She pushed into his hand, still concealing her crying with her paws. He let go of her ears, and gripped her wrists, pulling them side. Although the sparkling of her eyes was beautiful, he didn't feel as sadistic seeing tears without any backstory. Maybe he only liked it when it was him who made her cry. "Lulu." He said her name again, and lightly butted heads.

She lifted her's and returned the affectionate gesture, licking his nose when she finished. "I ... I can't get the panties off myself. I tried but I couldn't. I also called for you but you didn't come. In the end I ended up..."

"Oh." So that's where the smell was coming from. Suzaku pushed up to sit on his legs, and ran hand over the length of her spine. She protested by growling when he reached her tail. " I'm going to take them off for you." Lulu nodded.

He was happy that he kept his gloves on. The material was damp still, like she peed right through it. Suzaku noticed that she wasn't drinking much water and this was the likely reason why. He slid the swim bottoms down her legs. She struggled to kick it off, but the article became caught by her paws. Suzaku stretched the material, holding his breath from the stench. A few drops dripped off, and her fur was damp. He would need to figure out how to give her a bath. At least his concentration kept him from staring at her butt. He wasn't sure if it was the added hair or added genetics, but Lelouch's was definitely not this shapely.

Suzaku stood and rinsed out the bottoms in the sink. He wasn't about to lose a memento of Euphie over some stale cat piss. Leaving it in the basin to dry, he walked back over to Lulu. "All better except you need cleaned up too." Despite her feline instincts, he highly doubted she was about to lick up that part of her fur. Plus he hated deal with hairballs. "I'll figure out the underwear debacle afterwards."

"I don't want them." She complained, and looked up with a comical expression. Her eyebrows furrowed and her canines snarled slightly. "I'm a cat, I don't need clothes."

That statement surprised him, considering she was so bashful about her exposed skin before. "You're half human. You should wear clothing." He slid off his white suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "The Emperor ordered me to take you to the Knight's wing. I guess there is no reason to keep you down here."

She really smelled. Suzaku wasn't too keen on keeping Lulu full time, even if a part of him was excited over the order. There would be more people to help out, and Gino was looking forward to having a "hott pet around to play with." Suzaku scowled at the happy-go-lucky boy, and scolded him to "not get any ideas about beastiality." Anya would likely take over a lot. She offered to do the things that were inappropriate for boys. Maybe he could pass the bath responsibility off on her.

Lulu wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he bent down to carry her. Her legs came up, and she hooked her heels around his waist. She wasn't as heavy as he remembered. Then again, when he dragged Zero from Kamine Island, the terrorist didn't help by redistributing weight in the slightest. Suzaku tucked the bottom of his jacket between her legs, not wanting anyone else to see her half naked.

* * *

 **A/N: hi again. Apparently I have a problem. My house is a mess and I haven't done anything besides write this fic for a couple days. Crack is whack but sooooo good. I only have a few more scenes eating at my brain so give me any suggestions you have. There's a predictable end to this fic but that doesn't follow a timeline. Or maybe I will just keep Lulu a cat forevah! Read and review. I need sleep and foodz.**

 **Footnote: reference to the bit in the first Knight anthology manga where Schneizel convinces Lelouch that his rebellion is just a rebellious stage of royal proportions. So funny.**


	4. Chapter 4

A small girl with pink hair who was eerily familiar bathed her. Lulu hissed, whined, and clung to Suzaku for dear life. He didn't protect her. "Lulu. You are covered in your own urine. You need a bath, and I need a shower." She whimpered, shook her head, and licked his ear. "I told you not to do that it's weird."

"I don't want to." She complained. Whether she meant showing her affection or the bath, Lulu didn't know. She was so mad at him for leaving, and just as happy for him to come back. Until he wanted her to get in water. "It's too cold."

"I promise. The water won't be cold."

She shook her head again. "You too."

"I am am bathing too."

"With me."

"Uh... Um..." He stuttered, and looked at the girl for help. Lulu watched the young human out of her peripheral vision, not fully trusting her. Truth be told, she didn't trust anyone other than Suzaku and he was testing that right now. "Lulu. I'm a boy, and you're a girl. We can't bathe together."

"I'll bathe with you." The girl offered. "You can call me Anya. I've been looking forward to seeing you." She reached out to pet Lulu, treating the half-cat differently than the rest. Lulu leaned in when she ran her fingers through the short strands of her hair, and not fur. She gave a quizzical look, not remembering being treated this way before. Anya smiled, and held her hand out. "It will be fun. Just us girls."

A knot formed in her stomach. Something was nostalgic about being treated like an equal and not an animal. Lulu let go, and let her paws touch the floor. In the back of her mind, she wondered if she should attempt to walk on her bottom paws, or on all four. Thinking it was better to do whatever was most comfortable, she creeped closer, cautious. Suzaku looked weird. She glanced back at him and his face was impassible, but she read his body language. He had stiff shoulders, and he put more weight on the balls of his feet. She faltered, and used the side of the wall to lift herself up, locking her heels the rest of the way.

This bathroom was too big. Anya smiled, and told Suzaku to "close the door." Lulu felt the fur on her back lift up as she looked at the ominous water in the porcelain tub. She watched Anya undress, curious of the similarities in their bodies. Why did she think herself a full fledged cat until just now? Somehow she knew that cats couldn't talk, couldn't read, and definitely didn't have hairless voluminous breasts. Anya's were small but they were still there. They existed enough for her to deduce that she wasn't the same as Arthur.

"Your turn!" The girl smiled. "I need you to bend down for me though." Lulu lowered to sit on the floor, and lifted her arms. "You're beautiful, you know? I loved you before and I love you now. I think you will be happier this way though."

Something about the explanation tugged at Lulu's heart and she nodded. When she stepped into the bubble filled tub she flinched; Anya's smile gave her comfort. There was something about the way the girl's lips curved that reminded Lulu of how a mother treated a daughter.

"See?" Anya said, and got in next to her, sinking down. Lulu sat straight as a rail, determined to let the liquid touch as little as possible. "You used to love baths, you know."

"I did?"

"Uh-huh." Lulu's ears flattened when Ayna rubbed pumpkin spice scented soap on her chest. "What? I'm a basic white girl in the fall. Pumpkin spice all the things!"

Suzaku was out of his shower and dressed in casual clothes by the time they finished. Anya insisted on washing every last inch of her it seemed. It was the first time she could remember seeing him outside of his Knight of the Rounds uniform. He looked cute in sweatpants and a crew cut t-shirt. Cuter than she in the red romper that Anya made her wear.

"You smell like Pumpkin Spice." He pointed out when she crawling to lounge on his lap. Suzaku sat on the sofa, watching something he didn't seem to enjoy based on his body language. She butted her head against his chest, demanding he made the stench go away by making her smell like him. "Ok. Ok." he laughed and scratches her ear, running his hand over her exposed fur.

"Whoa. That's the first time I've heard you laugh, Suzaku." A blond boy she both noticed and completely disregarded said from a reclining chair. "Or smile. I was about to name you stone face. Hey, love. I'm Gino. Nice to meet you."

Suzaku paused at the start of the material, and picked back up again at the hole Anya cut out for her tail. Lulu blushed, and turned her head away from Gino. "Pleasure." She said against Suzaku's shirt. Suzaku wasn't paying attention as he scratched and stroked her sensitive spot, at least not like before. The last time he touched her there it was the most intimate thing she could think of, besides how he didn't let her kiss him until after she came. At the moment they were in a room with other people.

Gino sat in one corner, and Bismark, the man who dumped her back in the cell after the Emperor was done with her, was on another chair. The old man stood when the show ended, mumbling about some agreement of letting them "watch their teenager dramas on the big screen after the news." Anya joined and a orange haired boy she instantly hated.

Lulu lifted her head from Suzaku's chest to purr in his ear. The thought struck her that perhaps he was enough of an idiot to not know what he was doing. Should she tell him? She purred deeper, forgetting her embarrassment. If she told him how good it felt, that he was sending shivers down her spine, tingles in her paws, and an uncomfortably wondrous sensation where something no longer existed, would he stop? She was selfish. She didn't want him to do that. Even if he caressed her in front of a crowd it was worth it just to feel his touch. Suzaku's touch. She didn't want anyone else to per her there.

She waited until after her release to lick his nose. Anya leaned over to stroke her slightly sweaty human hair, a knowing glint in the girl's eyes. Lulu blushed deeper and continued to hide.

"I always thought you two were adorable together." The girl said.

"Huh?" Suzaku responded.

"Nothing. Don't mind me. I'm just an ol- young girl who doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Sometimes, Anya, I think you have multiple personality disorder." The orange haired boy said, and ran his fingers over a dagger.

* * *

"Can I help you find something?"

The blonde haired and blue eyed sales clerk probably asked that question to hundreds of people a day. It wasn't like Suzaku was special in any way except he needed lots of help, but wasn't sure how to voice it. He thought that going to the biggest pet store in the capital would give him some sort of idea. The moment he stepped on the black rubber mat, and caused the doors to slide open he was hopelessly and completely lost. On second thought, maybe somewhere more modest, and not a two story superstore would have been a better idea.

"Sure can!" Gino exclaimed, taking the reigns. He wrapped his arm around Suzaku's shoulders and smiled broadly at the girl. Her expression became genuine in response. "See my buddy here needs giant cat stuff but is completely dumbstruck." Suzaku couldn't imagine how someone could be so personable.

"Giant cat you say?" She asked. Her lips curled into a small smile. No doubt she thought this was a joke. "Like circus animals?"

"Not really. Actually she's a half cat half hu-"

"She's a house pet and about the size of a Great Dane." Suzaku interrupted. For some reason giving out information about Lulu to random strangers put him on edge.

"Alright then I would suggest looking in the extra large dog section then. Besides the food, a lot of the products are the same, and just differing in sizes. Here, I'll show you the way."

Suzaku was relieved when Gino released his casual hold on him and walked ahead with the teenage girl. The two chatted while they meandered towards the escalators. When Gino said this place had everything, he meant everything. The sign hanging above the moving stairs revealed a basement floor dedicated to "entertainment animals." The first one was for aquariums, gerbils, birds, and other small creatures. Cats was listed there too, but he figured the woman was right that he wouldn't find much for Lulu in that department. Livestock and extra large breed dogs wares were on the second floor.

She dropped them off at the entrance of the dog section, and gave Gino her number, before giving a wave goodbye. He couldn't even blame it on social status; both boys were wearing street clothes. Gino wore distressed jeans and a simple heathered green t-shirt. Suzaku had on jeans, a yellow shirt, and his long brown coat. In The Tokyo settlement anything colder than 65 degrees warranted a light jacket, at least to him. It would seem that since the capital had more varying weather, typically seeing snow the entire winter season and not just sporadically, people dressed as if it were early fall as long as possible.

"So do you have any idea of what you want to get?" Gino asked, looking at the map. Suzaku shook his head. "We'll do you know how long you are going to be gone?"

"Until the war with the EU is over..."

Gino whistled and took out his cellphone to look at a preconceived list on the Internet. "Ok well cat tree is number one."

"I doubt they have any big enough."

"So we will have one custom made. Scratching post?"

"She doesn't have any claws."

"You got her declawed?" Gino contracted the muscles on his chin, and pushed his head back. He looked like he had a double chin for a moment. "I didn't see that coming."

"She never had any... I don't think." Truthfully, Suzaku never thought to ask if Lulu was "born" with them or not. He didn't think removing them would be something Cecile would agree to doing, however, Lulu technically was a class A terrorist. They might have seen her to be too dangerous with them. He shook his head, clearing his mind of the idea. "Bed?"

"Doesn't she sleep on yours?" Gino asked.

"Yes but I would prefer not to have layers of caked on cat hair when I come back. I figured she could sleep in the commons. She already spends a lot of time in Anya's room but I feel like that's a lot to ask."

"I don't mind offering." Suzaku glared. "Ok. Ok." Gino lifted his arms in mock surrender. "I won't. So cat/dog bed it is. Probably better than putting a mistress in the commons and Nonette wouldn't be too happy with her on the furniture. Not to mention Bismark still gets watery eyes even on allergy medicine. More toys?"

"Probably," Suzaku responded even though Lulu wasn't very interested in any of them long term.

"I should have gone with Anya to the human stores." Gino grumbled, and walked towards the beds. "This is boring."

"With the way you blab, everyone would think you're looking for a fetish store in the mall. Besides, I don't trust you in a lingerie store."

"She went to a lingerie store?!" Gino bellowed, clearly upset he decided to follow Suzaku instead. A few other shoppers stopped, and gave the boys odd looks.

Suzaku stuttered. "Don't yell that!" He scolded once he regained some composure. "I want to make sure she has underwear. Isn't that where you buy it?"

"Not the kind you would have Lulu wear. Besides why is that even needed anyway? She's a cat. Well cat person but but all she really needs is a shirt. I mean I get your argument that she has a human butt but seriously man, that's the hairiest ass I've ever seen and I'm pretty openly bisexual. Definitely not a sexy ass. Now Lulu's rack..."

"Please stop." Suzaku rubbed his temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "I'm already hesitant to leave. Don't make it worse."

"Then just say no." Gino stated the obvious, and plopped down in one of the animal beds, testing it out. He stood, and grabbed a pillow off the shelf, returning to the same one. "Nope." He pushed himself off, and move on to the one that looked like a low to the ground sofa. "I don't think she could spread out on this."

Suzaku watched his coworker, and possibly friend, play goldilocks with the animal bed. Perhaps the blond teen was right in suggesting Suzaku just keep his room open during his absence. Really, he was more worried that Lulu would just hide in there, and get lonely. He worried too much about her. Maybe if she didn't have a habit of cuddling next to him at night, he wouldn't care. During the day she was elusive as any full blooded feline; at night she became more human. Lulu curled up at his side, and he would wrap an around around her waist. If she were facing him, she would nuzzle his neck and chest, leaving scratchy kisses before she nodded off.

The few days he was gone on a simple mission, she apparently wailed all night, made quiet only when Lucino lost his cool, and dumped water on her. At least the orange haired bastard wasn't going to be back anytime soon. "I can't turn it down. The order came directly from the Emperor. Besides, I want..." He couldn't tell Gino that his plan was to become the Knight of One and take Japan back. "I don't want to commit career suicide here. This is the first mission I've been offered... And I've been a Knight of the Rounds for almost a month."

"No there was that one mission right after Lulu came to live with us."

"Right and I got called back after two days."

"True." Gino said, and flopped down on a navy blue bed that looked like a fluffy futon mattress. "Man this one is comfy! We should get two so I have one for my room too."

Suzaku let Gino pick out the toys too. Lulu rarely played around him, so he wasn't really sure what she would like. Considering her things were never in the same spot, he assumed she did, in fact, get some exercise. All he ever saw her do was sleep. "How about a collar?" Gino asked when they passed that isle. He walked over, and started looking through the various styles.

"I don't know…." Suzaku trailed off.

The thought of putting a collar in Lulu made him nervous in ways he couldn't describe. Would she like it? He never worried over these things with Arthur since the other cat didn't know any better. She didn't care either way, besides simply finding the accessory uncomfortable for the first few minutes. Lulu understood concepts. She would know that there were connotations attached to it.

Maybe.

Ever since she was transferred out of the prison, she didn't seem to mind her odd situation any longer. Perhaps she wouldn't care, but on the other hand, was there a point? It wasn't like she was going anywhere. Even though she had roam of the castle, Lulu still technically was a prisoner. She couldn't leave. No. It was too much of a reminder of what she once was, something Suzaku would prefer not to remember. Lelouch. Zero. They were both dead. He didn't want to open that can of worms. Things were fine now. The last thing he wanted to do was end their tranquil relationship.


End file.
